1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to dispensing apparatus for rolled material, more particularly, to a spring actuated, paper towel holding and dispensing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
As is well-known in the art, numerous devices exist which simplify the process of holding and dispensing of rolled materials, such as bathroom tissue and paper towels. It is also well known that when rolled materials are dispensed, certain problems are routinely encountered. These include the following.
The first problem with the previous art devices is the unintentional disconnection of the paper towel roll from the support and dispensing device. This is due to the structure of many paper towel holding and dispensing apparatus. Many designs include a pair of support arms which extend outward perpendicularly from a base support. These arms normally contain cylindrical shafts mounted horizontally to the arms, upon which the open ends of the paper towel roll are inserted. Others incorporate a spindle placed through the paper towel roll and which connects to both support arms. The paper towel roll is attached to the paper towel holder by pulling the support arms outward, away from the ends of the paper towel roll, such that the paper towel roll can be inserted over the protruding cylindrical shaft, or in the case of devices with spindles, the spindle can be connected to both cylindrical shafts. This outward movement of the support arms flexes the base support, placing significant pressure on it, and over time, deforming the base support. In fact, the pressure on the base support is intentional, as it creates a means of creating the lateral force required between the support arms and the paper towel roll to keep the paper towel roll in place. This deformation of the base support reduces the lateral force that the support arms can exert on the ends of the paper towel roll, or the spindle, thus allowing the paper towel roll to detach from the assembly, most likely during the dispensing of the paper towels.
Some rolled material holding and dispensing devices attempt to solve this deformation problem by utilizing a spring loaded spindle that connects to both support arms. Examples of this technology as applied to toilet paper dispensers, include U.S. Pat. No. 5,374,008, issued in the name of Halvorson et. al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,362,653, issued in the name of Carlisle, U.S. Pat. No. 2,801,809, issued in the name of Glaner, U.S. Design Pat. No. D347,534, issued in the name of Gottselig. Other devices, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,292,083, issued in the name of Ridenour, utilize a spring, without a spindle, that slides into the paper towel roll cardboard core, to apply the lateral force upon the support arms.
There are, however, problems with applying this type of technology to paper towel holding and dispensing devices. First, these devices and others that utilize the spring loaded spindle are usually used in conjunction with metal dispensers. The base support of these devices can withstand the pressure that the spindle places on the support arms without deforming. Paper towel holders, however, are usually plastic in design, and as such, the pressure placed on the base support from the spring loaded spindle will cause the deformation of the base support and subsequent detachment of the paper towel roll, as discussed above in relation to typical rolled paper dispensers. Thus, plastic paper towel holders with spring loaded spindles are problematic. Second, the metal assemblies, necessary for the adequate function of the spring loaded spindle, are prohibitively heavy, as many paper towel holders are mounted on counter tops without wooden wall supports to be connected to. As such, the metal devices would detach from the drywall, and cause aesthetic damage to the wall. Furthermore, the use of metal in the fabrication of paper towel holders creates several other problems, including increased cost, and increased difficulty of manufacture.
Another problem with spindles is that the use of spindles as a means of attaching the rolled paper to the dispensing assembly is burdensome. The spindle must be removed and reinserted into a new paper towel roll each time one runs out of paper towels, and the spindle must then be connected to the support arms with the bulky paper towel roll obstructing one's view and limited hand space to connect the spindle and the support arms. Also, the spindles typically fall out of the paper towel roll cardboard core during attachment and detachment of the paper towel roll, creating frustration for the user. Second, the spindles fall to the ground and disassemble when the support arms fail to support the paper towel roll during dispensing. Also, upon detachment, the spindle is likely to get lost, even if temporarily, thus adding to frustration of the user. Fourth, the fact that many of the springs are not secured within the spindle housing means that these components will likely spill out even when the roll is purposefully being detached, as during roll changes.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,535,947, issued in the name of Hidle, attempts to deal with the disconnection problem another way. The '947 device discloses support cylinders which are inserted into the roll of paper towels, increasing the axial penetration of the cylindrical shafts, and which connect to the support arms, thus keeping the roll from disconnecting. There are problems with this design, however. First, removing the support cylinders from a used device is time consuming and burdensome. Second, the overall design is complicated. Third, the device does not address the other problems discussed below.
Another problem associated with the dispensing of rolled paper products is the inability to control the exact amount of paper to be dispensed in an easy manner. This problem is due to the fact that most paper towel holders offer too much or too little resistance to the rolling action of the paper towel roll.
Devices which attempt to deal with this problem have generally been of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,239,163, issued in the name of Christian. The '163 device discloses a tissue roll holder brake member insertable to fit snugly into an open end of a cardboard tube on which a roll of tissue paper is wound. The '163 device also employs a spring loaded spindle, which creates the deformation problems when applied to plastic paper towel dispensers, discussed above. As such, the '163 device cannot be adapted to work effectively on paper towel dispensing apparatus.
Some devices rely on the flexing of the support arms and rear main support to place pressure on the paper towel roll. These devices suffer from the deformation problems discussed above. Also, the devices do not place pressure primarily against the cardboard roll that holds the paper towels, but instead, place what little pressure they do create, on the entire paper towel roll. Typically, the entire ends of the paper towel roll rest against the support arms. This configuration gives much resistance when the paper towel roll is full, and the paper towel roll is in contact with a large surface area of the support arms, but offers little resistance when the paper towel roll is near empty. Thus, it is too difficult to turn the paper towel roll when it is full, and too much paper comes off the paper towel roll when it is nearly empty.
In addition, too much pressure on the paper towel roll will likely result in a detachment of the paper towel roll from the device, as the additional force required to tear a sheet of paper towel will likely disconnect the paper towel roll from its point of attachment.
Another problem with devices in the previous art relates to their inability to accommodate paper towel rolls whose widths differ. Different brands of paper towels utilize paper towel roll cardboard cores of differing lengths, and paper towels of differing widths. Because the support arms of these devices are at a fixed distance apart from each other, they cannot adapt to these variations. Paper towel rolls of decreased width cause the roll to detach, while rolls of increased width cause the base support deformation problems discussed above.
A search of the previous art did not disclose any patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention. Consequently, a need has been felt for providing a simple and economical paper towel holding and dispensing device which overcomes the problems associated with the previous art.